Dear Red, Be Mine (Valentine’s Midlife Meet Cute #5)

Chapter One

Caroline

I have one simple plan today. You might even say it’s foolproof.

Four steps, quite manageable ones as long as I keep moving and don’t linger anywhere too long.

I’ve arrived in the small lake town, the “Welcome” sign already behind me. Check.

I have successfully grabbed coffee for Maggie and me while Edna asked me about “city life.” Check.

I’m already halfway done!

As I walk out of the diner, the January air nips at my cheeks as I hurry to meet Maggie.

Her wedding binder is in my work bag, filled with color swatches, centerpiece arrangements, and her two-month timeline, which we’re halfway done with.

Most brides plan for a year or more, but not Maggie.

She didn’t want to wait any longer. That may seem crazy, and I’ll admit…

it is, but I’m a successful event planner.

I’ve orchestrated charity galas for five hundred people with less notice.

My color-coded spreadsheets and emergency vendor contacts have saved the day every time.

And what can I say? Maggie deserves this.

She’s found the love of her life. Well, the second love of her life.

Lucky girl. To find not one, but two great loves.

My chest tightens. I just want one of those in my lifetime.

One man who loves me for all of me, and I mean all.

Someone who sees my size-fourteen curves as something to cherish, not tolerate.

Someone who texts “miss you” on a Tuesday afternoon for no reason at all other than missing me.

A man who’d rather build a life with me than display me at company parties, who’d still hold my hand when I’m crying over nothing and everything.

Someone who’d choose me, repeatedly, deliberately, even when it’s inconvenient. Is that really too much to ask for?

Maybe it is. Which explains my empty ring finger and single mom status. And maybe that’s why I don’t want to see Tom Rivera and his infuriating crooked smile. Not yet at least.

I open the door to my sleek black mini-SUV and set the coffees in the cup holders.

“Almost there, Rory. Now, just get to Mags’ house without any complications.”

Aurora, my apricot toy poodle, wags her tail in the front seat.

“Just two more steps to complete for a foolproof day!”

I reach for my purse on my shoulder and freeze.

Perfect. I forgot it inside. I’m not the forgetful type—I’m the one with backup plans to her backup plans, and they’re color-coded.

But here I am, scattered because of a man I haven’t even laid eyes on.

I slam my door shut, with more force than necessary, and collide with a hard, muscular body.

“Looking for this?” the deep voice says.

My gaze travels up his broad chest to his mouth. His grin grows wider, then my eyes flick to his, warm and brown, just like my coffee. One day of peace. That’s all I asked for. But no, it has to be him, standing there like a romance novel hero come to life.

“Hey, Red.”

And now, with just two words out of his lips, my heart is flip-flopping like a fish on dry land. Suffocating. Which is how my lungs are feeling now, too.

I told myself I could play it cool the next time I saw Tom. I also told myself I wouldn’t order the mouthwatering cinnamon rolls at the diner today—lies, both of them.

I manage to swallow the lump in my throat. “Hey, yourself, Firefighter.”

“Just returning this to its rightful owner.” He extends his hand, my purse dangling from his finger.

“My hero,” I say, aiming to match his easy demeanor, but landing somewhere closer to flirting.

I take my purse from him, and the contact of our fingers brushing causes a spark to shoot up my arm.

“Just doing my duty, ma’am.” He tips his firefighter cap with practiced charm.

Such a simple move that does very un-simple things to me. That’s not even a word, I know, but I can’t think right now. My pulse pounds in my ears, while heat blooms across my skin. Ironic that the man who extinguishes fires for a living sets me ablaze.

His lips curve into that goofy grin, which I find incredibly cute, and his brown eyes crinkle at the corners. And I absolutely notice the way his BAC Firefighter T-shirt stretches across his broad shoulders, defining every muscle as if it were custom-tailored just to torture me.

Gosh, why does he have to be so attractive?

It’s the kind of swoony that makes my knees wobble like I’m sixteen again instead of forty-five. He’s even more handsome than our video call last month. How is that even possible?

Aurora jumps up at the window as she barks, pulling me out of the Tom trance I was in. My trusty sidekick, always saving me from myself.

“Ah, is this the famous Rory?”

I nod. “Since I’ll be here for a little while, I brought her with me this time.”

Aurora’s paws are planted on the door, her black button nose leaving smudges on the glass.

“Well, I’d better get going. Maggie is waiting for me.” I let out a nervous chuckle, stepping back.

“I’m on my way to Jake’s, too. So, I guess I’ll see you there.” He gives a little wave before walking off, his firefighter’s gait confident and steady. Like a man who knows exactly how to rescue someone and exactly how to leave them breathless.

I watch as he strides to his red truck, parked a few spaces down from mine.

This man and his charm are going to be the death of me.

The man who turns my carefully organized thoughts into smoke signals, who makes me feel more alive than I thought possible, more than I ever felt with my ex-husband.

My fingers still tingle where they brushed his.

I mean, I hoped I could find love one day, and now…

I shake my head, not letting myself finish the thought.

Who knew that a little harmless flirting at Blue Alder Cove’s Summer Festival with my best friend’s boyfriend’s best friend (wow, what a mouthful!) would spiral into this?

Late-night texts that made me laugh until my cheeks hurt and video calls where I found myself putting on lip gloss at 11 p.m. But seeing him in person again—like the brief day when Maggie and Jake got engaged—is something entirely different.

I’ll have to see him in the flesh, at every event, breathing the same air, sharing the same spaces, while I coordinate the wedding as planner and maid of honor.

But none of that matters. A city girl and a small-town firefighter? Some equations just don’t balance, no matter how good the chemistry is.

I slide behind the wheel, reaching inside my bag for the cinnamon roll before recoiling. The sugary scent that made my mouth water ten minutes ago now turns my stomach. I snap the container shut and stuff it back inside my bag.

I just have to survive the next few weeks until I can escape back to the city, back to my perfectly organized life with Aurora and my planner. The only thing making my heart race is a last-minute venue change. My phone pings, a text from my daughter, Emilie, lighting up the screen.

Em

You’re in BAC! (Yes, I checked your location.) Hug Maggie for me. And remember you’re not just there for business *wink*